Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1887-03-16
A CHINESE THEATRE.
HOW THE PERFORMANCE is CON-
QUOTED IN LOS ANGELES, CAL.

The Stage Open, without Curtain or
soenery-Plays Not Divided into Acts
The Woes of the Heroine-some Fin 4,
Acting.
As we descend the billy street leading
from the piazza to the theater, strange
unearthly sounds like q night throat
splitting effort at recitative in some barba-
rio opera, accompanied by a wild blast or |
discordant horns and the clang of brazen
cymbals, tioated up to us on the night air
as faint foretaste of what was to come.
AS have said, the interior was rough
and unfinished; there was a rude gallery
at the back and on either side running
forward as far ar. the stage. In the side
galleries, we'll to the front, were the pri-
vate boxes, looking for all the world like
SO many grain bins, those on one side be-
ing for the ladies, on the Other for the
men. No women sit down in the body or
the house. The seats were rude benches,
both with and without backs. On these
the audience sat, lounged, or squatted, as
the spirit moved them, and more motley
crowd could hardly be imagined. Smok-
ing is almost universal-the air being red
olent and blue with the Vapors of cheap
cigarets, cigars and opium. Through this
haze can be seen the vender of narcotics
as he quietly picks his way in and out
among the crowd disposing OF his wares,
while the internal braying of the orches-
ira makes it impossibl to hear the shut
fling about that is continually going on.
The stage is open, without curtain or
scenery, and devoid of everything in the
shape of properties, with the exception OF
table or two, some chairs, and make
shift screen; at the back sit the seven
members of the orchestra, all smoking
and each seemingly endeavoring to drown
the others out. Their instruments con-
sist of a fiddle with one string, which
| makes a sound similar to that emitted by
| two cats when they clinch; two horns
ditto; a pair of enormous cymbals which
are no thinkers, for every time they come
together one is lifted bodily six inches
from his seat; brazen gong suspended
from the ceiling by a wire, which is
pounded vigorously as the action becomes
more imprisoned; two or three dwarf
banjos, and species of kettledrum made
of wood and snake skin.
PLAYS NOT DIVIDED.
There are no divisions of their plays
into acts, but from the beginning to the
close, whatever action is going on,
whether the scene represents battle, the
hush Of midnight, or desert solitude, the
orchestra, like Tennyson's brook, goes on
forever, making the air thick with sound.
Above the stage is deep recess, gorgeous
with yellow and red, in which and before
which lights are burning. Deep within
this box resides the joss, who Is supposed
to take as much interest in the play over
which he presides as his worshippers be-
low The actors make their entrance
through doorway hung with crimson
curtain at the back and to the right of the
stage, and their exits through one to the
left. Above each doorway are notices in
Chinese characters, which, indeed, can
be seen posted everywhere on the walls OF
the building
We arrived in time to behold the woes
of the heroine intensified by the entrance
of the heavy villain in Mother Hubbard
pants and face hideously painted to rep
resent moral depravity. The cymbals
clashed, the gong beat louder, the horns
brayed; the villain flourished his sword,
and the lady shrieked in high falsetto
Right here might say in perenthesis thai
in Chinese drama all the women arr
men-that is, all the female character:
are taken by men, women not being sup
! posed to possess sufficient intelligence K
act, though believe there is woman il
San Francisco, who, becoming imbuet
with the spirit of her American sisters
has broken through national prejudice
and become fairly successful actress. L
is rather startling to see the villain lay two
or three of his enemies out stiff, and in g
moment after see all the slain rise and
walk coolly off the stage as though moth
ing had happened. But the Chinese rec
ognize nothing homogeneous in this In
deed, they let their immaginations carr.
them over many dead points, as it were
: For instance, there being no scenery
whenever it is desired to represent
change of scene, all the actors move t.
, another part of the stage or else promen
} ade around two or three times, it depend
, ing altogether whether they wish to rep
resent the action as changing from ont
room of house to another or to distan
province.
: QUITE FINE ACTING.
witnessed one bit of quite fine acting
3 The character was evidently crossing 1
: | mountain range going from one prov